Body Painting

This page was originally just a section of my page on
disorganized nudity. But so many Web sites
have appeared that deal with body painting that it seems to deserve a
page of its own here.

Body painting is a form of expression
used by people who like to be naked to communicate feelings and ideas
about the human body by using the body itself as the canvas.
Such ideas may sometimes be of a sexual nature, but that is only a
small part of the possible range of thoughts that can be expressed
in this way.

It shouldn't be very surprising that people who like to be naked also
like to paint bodies or have their own painted. It is a fairly common
pastime at nudist/naturist gatherings and events, and other festive
occasions where naked people are found.

A naked body makes a pretty good canvas for creative expression.
In fact, the expanded possibilities for self expression that are possible
when one doesn't wear clothes form one of the chief attractions of
being naked for some people.

What people who are interested in the body as an
expressive medium have in common with those who just like to be naked is a
certain attitude towards the body. An attitude that is more detached
and objective than "normal". An attitude that accepts, without flinching,
the body for what it is, and then uses it to realize new concepts
of "corpo-reality".

Is body painting an erotic thing? Clearly, it can be, just as certain
choices in clothing can be erotic. However, it need not be any more
erotic than other, non-erotic forms of appreciation of the body for
its own sake.

There are a lot more body painting examples in the
Burning Man and
Fantasy Fest sections of
the disorganised nudity page.

Here's a selection of pages that explore and illustrate body painting.

This is a very straightforward, quick overview of body painting
by photographer Philip Greenspun. It is taken for granted that the
subjects are naked. Pictures included. The one entitled "Republican
Platform" alone is worth the visit - send it to any Republicans
you know.

Here's a whole site devoted to the subject, by Steven Bradford.
It has technical information, a gallery of images by Bradford and others,
and even a full list of examples, going back over 30 years, of painted
bodies that have appeared in print, movies, and video.